1. Submission Title: [ Wireless Neighborhood Area Networks – WNAN ]
Project: IEEE P Working Groupfor Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs)
Submission Title: [ Wireless Neighborhood Area Networks – WNAN ]
Date Submitted: [ 15 July, 2008 ]
Source: [ George Flammer ] Company/Organization [ Silver Spring Networks ]
Address: [ 575 Broadway, Redwood City, CA ] Tel [ ]
[ gflammer (at) SilverSpringNet.com ]
Re: IEEE 802 Plenary WNAN Tutorial
Abstract: WNAN description, mesh network performance, appropriateness of for WNAN
Purpose: To brief IEEE 802 Membership on WNAN application area and need for standards
Notice: This document has been prepared to assist the IEEE P It is offered as a basis for discussion and is not binding on the contributing individual(s) or organization(s). The material in this document is subject to change in form and content after further study. The contributor(s) reserve(s) the right to add, amend or withdraw material contained herein.
Release: The contributor acknowledges and accepts that this contribution becomes the property of IEEE and may be made publicly available by P

2. Wireless Neighborhood Area Networks WNAN
July 15th, 2008

3. 2/5/ :55 PM
WNAN = Process Control
WNAN applications may be defined as wide area process control
Low BW – less than 100 kB per day
Latency tolerant - less than 10 seconds
Exceptional events require low single digit responses (e.g. less than 2 seconds)
Nominally fixed locations; not mobile.
Complete ubiquity: every device location connected – millions of locations, tens of thousands of square miles
SHARPSHOOTER\Management Presentaion\Management Presentation - FINAL (with CAP TABLE).ppt 3

4. WNAN ‘neighborhood’

5. The WNAN application space
For the Utility application, the WNAN logically extends ‘from the tower to the toaster’.
For process control, the WNAN extends from the computer to the monitored and controlled devices.
Topologically, this can be devices and relays aggregated by / WAN to an LAN.

6. Mesh networks provide scalable performance
2/5/ :55 PM
Mesh networks provide scalable performance
Average round trip time (RTT) of ~350 byte meter reads for 48,000 meters.
SHARPSHOOTER\Management Presentaion\Management Presentation - FINAL (with CAP TABLE).ppt 6

7. Mesh networks distribute intelligence
Latency to any one endpoint is highly correlated with hop count. One mesh topology would have endpoints continually evaluate and improve their routes “in and out”.
Multiple alternate paths in and out of the network are vetted and the best selected.
Each endpoint can use available local information to plot routes in and out. Viewed globally, the highly scalable process ‘balances’ overall mesh load for highest performance.

8. Mesh networks utilize spectrum efficiently
With RSSI in every radio, the radio spectrum can be measured everywhere; in this case hourly.
This graphic shows signal occupancy across 26MHz ( MHz).
These data were taken in a ‘small city’ environment – trolley cars, four lane streets, etc.
The mesh network is in operation.
Occupied channels are blue. Empty channels are red/pink trending toward white – spectrum sharing rules established by the FCC in the early 1990’s still work well.

9. Open Standards
The power plug has been an ‘open standard’ for 100 years
Leverages trillion dollar utility capital
Millions of devices have been independently developed
Plug it in and it ‘just works’
IP provides the open standard for the Wireless NAN
Leverages trillion dollar collective R&D budget
Enables vendor community to develop products independently
Plug it in and it ‘just works’

10. The WNAN application space
Geographically distributed process control network
With a very large number of
High value endpoints in
Nominally fixed locations with
Handfuls of kilobytes moving
Within handfuls of seconds
Not a ‘fat’ pipe, but a ‘diverse’ pipe

11. The WNAN application space
Industrial process control needs to be robust – you can never have enough range.
With enough range, you have ubiquitous coverage.
When you have complete coverage, you must have a scalable technology
Which will not be used if it is not robust.
The PHY and MAC need to be tailored to meet the WNAN technical requirements.

12. WNAN – coexistence with standards
Make the point that this is a natural bridge between the WAN and the HAN.
Pulls WAN backhaul and enables huge HAN market

13. WNAN – has most synergy with 802.15.4
2/5/ :55 PM
WNAN – has most synergy with
PHY and MAC enhancements
Use 1W Channel hopping for part Range improved if BW is reduced
Packet size up to 2047 Bytes Carries IP packets compatibly
Channel hopping Robust - survives own success
Power constraints unneeded
Processor constraints unneeded
One desirable approach (amongst many possible) is to use FHSS, run the PHY to the limits of the CFR Part , and support the larger IP packet sizes (at least 1536 bytes which means a 11 bit ‘length field’ or 2047 max bytes).
SHARPSHOOTER\Management Presentaion\Management Presentation - FINAL (with CAP TABLE).ppt 13

14. Thank You
Command and Control (sound familiar?)